


The Dreadful Tails

by justdreadwolfing



Series: Random AUs in no particular order [3]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-28 14:17:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5093804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justdreadwolfing/pseuds/justdreadwolfing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Solavellan fairy tale AU.  I'll be taking several different fairy tales and turning them into my own <3  Expect so much fluff man!<br/>Now playing: Cinderella<br/>Sneaking into her own ball, Nira meets a mysterious stranger that quickly makes the night one to remember.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Dreadful Masquerade Act 1

“Inquisitor Lavellan?” Josephine tapped on the large maple door, causing Nira’s ears to perk up from her bed. Oh no, not again. “I implore you to come downstairs. Will you not reconsider?”

“No way.”

“But Inquisitor, this ball is for your birthday. I know you fear those that wish to meet you and what they may say, but I believe you will have a wonderful time if you just give it a chance." 

There was no getting rid of her. Nira had told her time and time again that she wanted no part in this. When asked if she wanted some sort of party, she made sure to tell Josie no. She should have known she would have blown past her wishes. A simple dinner with her closest friends would have sufficed, but no. Josie didn’t do simple. 

If that wasn’t bad enough in her mind, Josie had called her ‘Inquisitor’ again. With a groan, Nira pulled herself out of the bed and swung her bedroom door open. 

"Josie, for the millionth time, it’s Nira to you. Okay? You knew me way before I became the Inquisitor and we’ve been friends for ages, so please.” Nira pleaded, a playful smile shown, one that would hopefully get Josie to do as she asked for once. 

“V-very well…N-Nira…” Josie didn’t hide the fact that the word was awkward on her tongue, but Nira didn’t care. She hated her title. “Besides, I don’t want to go down there. I am perfectly fine with staying up here." 

Josie’s eyes widened. "B-but the people are here. They’ve been asking about you for hours. Please Inqui-” Josie was cut short by the glare she received by the elf standing in front of her. “Nira…” Josephine struggled with the new word. One day, Nira would break her and then she would finally feel like she had her old friend back. “What will I tell them if you continue to refuse to come down?”

“They’ll just have to enjoy the festivities you prepared and be happy with that. I’m not feeling myself and I’m most certainly not in the mood to dance or pretend like I’m happy to see them.” Nira folded her arms as she walked across the room. Her eyes falling outside to the courtyard. A masquerade. Of course it was a masquerade…Leave it to Josie to plan the most formal event ever for a girl who cared nothing for it. 

They were pretty though… 

Dancing, twirling…all their troubles from their regular lives evaporated as they danced the night away without a care in the world. 

Nira sighed softly. If she went down there, she would just be bombarded with questions with how she planned to rule over Haven. Strangers would ask for her hand in an attempt to woo her, hoping that she would pick them as her suitor. They would do nothing but aggravate her until she finally had enough. 

If that wasn’t bad enough…

Nothing would be real. 

She heard Josie exhale from the doorway. “Very well, I will check on your condition in an hour. I hope that you will change your mind by then, Inquisitor." 

"Josie-” Nira snapped and had started to scold her, but as soon as she turned her head, Josephine had hurriedly closed the door. 

Her eyes shifted back out the window and idea started forming. Maybe…

* * *

“Come on, Solas. It’ll be good for you." 

"I have already told you. I have far too much work to do to go to some party.” Solas kept his eye contact away from the mage and focused completely on the notebook in front of him. Dorian had been begging him for the better part of an hour and though Solas made no movement to show that he was interested, Dorian persisted. 

“Yes, yes, work this, work that. That’s all you do any more.” Dorian rested his chin on his hand, his far off glance seemed different some how. Solas had noticed that he had been acting strange all day, but that didn’t change the fact that he had far too much to do to have anything to do with this ball. 

“For good reason, Dorian.” Solas had spent the entire day focusing on the small article he had promised to turn in the following day, but had turned up nearly empty. 

Solas’ eyes shifted, growling in frustration. He never had an issue before. Dorian’s incessant nagging was nothing he hadn’t worked through a million times, so why did his page continue to remain empty?

“I know you haven’t written anything all day. If you’re stuck, maybe it would be good to get you up and moving around. A good dance or two with a beautiful woman may be just the thing you need.” Dorian’s eyes shot in his direction. It was obvious that no matter how much he refused, it was falling on deaf ears. Dorian looked over at the small clock across the street. “Ah, see? The ball is sure to have started. As I always say, fashionably late is better than never at all.”

“My deadline is tomorrow. I need to make sure this gets finished.”

Dorian sat up straight and thought for a moment before opening his mouth again. “You’re writing about the Dalish, correct?”

Solas sighed. “Unfortunately…” 

“Then that should be easy. It’s the Inquisitor’s birthday ball. You can write your column about her.” The mage in front of him beamed. Solas watched him disapprovingly, but he was correct. He had been asked to write a small story about the Dalish and all they had accomplished over the past few years…Solas was pretty sure this was one giant joke. He made no secret of his problems with the Dalish. Perhaps that was the reason he had been having so much trouble with this piece in particular.

He mulled it over. The Inquisitor was Dalish after all. If he could get a moment to speak with her, it could really make his article stand out. It all just came down to what sort of content she gave him.

“Very well, but I will hear no more of this when we return. Do I make myself clear?” Solas’ voice grew stern as he closed his notebook feeling completely defeated. Writing was usually something that came natural to him. He could write for hours about the Fade and history, but the Dalish? They were incessantly aggravating. It gave him little to work with, even more so when they refused to listen to reason.

This will be better. Perhaps the Inquisitor will be more willing to listen to the truth. He may be able to save this article after all.

“Crystal. First, we have to make a stop though. I will not be seen with you in those rags.”

* * *

Nira creaked the door open and peaked up and down the hallway. She took one final deep breath. 

This was it. She only had an hour before Josie would return. That was plenty of time.

As she exited her room and noticed the mirror across the hall, taking one final look at herself. How had she never worn this dress before? It was gorgeous and simple, nothing to extravagant, perfect for someone like her who didn’t wish to stand out. Black silk ran from the top of her breasts and continued on, grazing the floor lightly. A studded emblem sat neatly on her chest, causing the silk to bunch together in an elegant manor. Despite all that, her favorite pieces were the small golden tree necklace and wired mask that belonged to her late mother. 

Nodding in approval, a smile ran across her lips as she quickly turned and fled down the hallway. 

Eleven o’clock. One hour. 

She had until midnight. She would have to make it count.

There would be no way she would be able to to just waltz out the front door. Surely Josephine would be there waiting for her to come down, a line of people waiting to make their introductions behind her. She would have to find a different way… Nira slipped easily by the distracted guards, even as she got closer to the party. For a moment, she stopped dead in her tracks as she caught sight of the qunari. It didn’t take long for her to realize that the Iron Bull was being more careless as usual, not even bothering to do his duties, as he talked up a dark haired Tevinter man near the front entrance.

“Strange…I thought he hated ‘Vints’…” Nira stared at the two for a moment before continuing her small adventure to finding a free exit. Bull would bust her for sure if she got too close. Her safest bet would be through one of the windows.

Nira looked behind her at the elaborate Andrastian stain glass window. “Sorry, lady.” She whispered under her breath as she pushed the window open slowly. With quiet grunts, she began to pull herself up and swing her leg over the window, being as careful as she could not to rip her dress. This was unlike anything she had done before, even back with her clan. They were warriors, and she a mage, never did she feel the need to act as a rogue breaking and entering…or in her case…leaving.

Though for her first attempt, everything was going according to plan.

Rip.

“Fenhedis…” She cursed under her breath as she dangled outside of the wall. The bottom of her dress got caught underneath the window. This had to be part of Andraste’s punishment. Those windows were never meant to be opened. At least that was what Leliana had told her…

Oh well. Too late now.

Trying to balance herself on one hand, she used the other to try to free her dress from her stained attacker. Nira never had been very nimble, I guess this would show all of Thedas just how clumsy she was. After struggling with it for a few moments, she was finally able to free herself. It had ripped a good bit, but hopefully with it being on the bottom, no one would notice. Besides, she wasn’t planning on being the center of attention anyways, so she may get lucky.

While she had been successful in freeing her dress, she had failed when it came to balancing herself. 

Her hand suddenly slipped and she fell straight into the bushes below her. “Ow…” It wasn’t the most graceful of exits, but it did finally get her outside.

A small chuckle echoed behind her, startling her. She’d been caught. “While the exit did make you stand out quite a bit, I would suggest the door for your next attempt.” The voice was calm and cool, almost melodic and laced with an accent she had never heard before. 

Turning her head slowly, she caught a glimpse of the man who had watched her clumsy escape. Maybe if she was lucky, he was no one she knew.

Her eyes fell upon a tall elf in a pure black suit and tie. A playful smirk graced his lips, the only part of his face that wasn’t hiding behind a breath-taking wolf mask. She had never seen a mask with such detail. The bits of fur on the mask tipped with white, the snout extending downwards to cover most of his face. 

Still…the most striking feature were his eyes. They shone a bluish grey under the incandescent lights that decorated the area. His piercing stare never left her even for a moment.

He held his hand out for her. “My lady…”

She attempted to swallow the lump in her throat as she raised her hand up and placed it neatly in his. The man grasped her hand and pulled her gracefully to her feet, her eyes scanning the few parts of himself he had left exposed. “Are you alright?” Nira watched completely star struck as the words left his lips.

His lips…

Creators, just stop it…

Nira shook her head quickly, forcing herself to focus on him rather than his features. “Yes, yes…I’m so sorry you had to see that. I was just um…” She looked back, hoping that what was left over from her escape attempt would help her construct some sort of amazing lie that would give her a perfectly sound reason for dangling from the window. The only trace that she left behind was the small bit of her dress that remained in the monster’s clutches. “Trying to catch a glimpse of the Inquisitor…” She smiled, hoping that her embarrassment with their unfortunate meeting would cover up for the embarrassment of having a horrible lie that didn’t make sense.

He laughed again, her attention falling right back to him. Whether he believed her or not, she could never tell. Either way, he blew past it. “I suppose that would make the both of us, but it appears that she won’t be joining us for a while. Perhaps you would like to spend your time with me while we await her arrival.” 

“Most definitely,” Nira grinned, her smile spreading from ear to ear.

“Excellent. We will just have to make sure your feet stay on the ground instead of dangling in the air. You were lucky once, best not to tempt fate a second time.” He said, stifling another laugh. 

“Right…” Her chest tightened as she looked up at the mysterious stranger as he took her around the perimeter of the dancing figures, unsure of what this night had in store for her.


	2. A Dreadful Masquerade Act 2

With arms intertwined, Solas lead the mysterious girl around the perimeter of the party. The music played softly and those attending swayed gently together in an intimate embrace. This was nothing like he had expected. Solas knew little of the Inquisitor, but the stories that he heard made her appear flashy and ignorant of the world around her. A common Dalish elf blinded to the truth. He had assumed that the ball would reflect her personality and while it was quite extravagant, the fact that the Inquisitor did not even show made him wonder.

He had hoped to speak with her, but it seemed that fate had other plans. 

The young girl that tumbled from above remained attached to his arm. Silent. Embarrassed. Her daring attempts at avoiding eye contact failed almost continuously as they walked through the garden. 

This was weird. All of this seemed very strange and unlike anything he had ever done before. He would admit that Dorian did a fine job picking the right suit, but he feared that the wolf mask was a bit much. 

The garden was extravagant, much like his new friend, filled to the brim with Crystal Grace. This particular area of the garden seemed to glow under the moonlight. 

The perfect scenery.

“This is an extraordinary event.” Solas spoke, finally breaking the silence.

“Hm?”

“I just…I hadn’t expected to attend tonight. I usually do not fair so well amongst these sort of people, but it appears you have saved me, lethallan.” Solas bowed low, a playful smile crossing his face. Taking her hand in his, he pulled it towards his lips pressing a small kiss to her delicate fingers.

She smiled nervously, obviously not expecting the sudden action. She wasn’t the only one. Solas seemed quite surprised also, but he shrugged it off. This was a special night accompanied by a special young girl. He could allow himself to act out of the norm. To be someone else…

At least for the night.

They remained quiet as they walked, an awkward sort of tension settling in on the mood.

Every now and then, Solas would look at her only to find her sneaking peaks over at the dancers. While she made a valiant effort at hiding it, she did not succeed.

“Is something troubling you?” Solas asked politely. Perhaps the sudden kiss was too forward of him.

The question seemed to startle her quite a bit. Her eyes widened, realizing she had gotten caught.

“Oh n-no, I’m sorry. I just…” She sighed softly unable to keep her eyes away from the beautiful dance. 

“…Just?” He took a step closer, closing the distance between them. Solas took her chin in his hand, and forced her attention back to him. Solas smiled, gazing down at her.

The girl was lost for words. “I-I um…” Awaiting her answer, he began to run his fingers up and down her bare arm, feeling her shiver under his touch.

“Are you unsatisfied with your company, da’len?”

“Of course not! I just…” Even the thought that he would say that seemed to take her by surprise. After a moment, she finally returned to his gaze. “I had hoped for a dance…”

“Ma nuvenin. I am happy to oblige, all you needed to do was ask.” In a quick motion, Solas twirled her and pulled her close to his chest, the corner of his mouth tugging into a smile. He moved to take her hand in his right, as his left lightly grazed her waist. The sudden contact caught her off guard, causing her to gasp softly as their eyes met. His gaze seemed to pierce through his mask as their bodies began to move together.

“You are quite surprising. For a girl who I found hanging from the window, I had assumed you to be far more forward.” Solas started the conversation, but felt an instant regret as the words slipped through his lips. He perhaps could have worded that a bit more eloquently. 

Her body stiffened as the blood rushed to her face. The mood hadn’t even started and already he was destroying it. How long had it been since he had done anything like this?

The girl chuckled nervously, her gaze slipping as she searched for the words to respond. "Y-yes, well…perhaps instead of watching me hang, you could have helped me down instead of allowing me to fall.“

"And miss the captivating view within my sight? Never.” Solas spoke softly, his grin only growing as he became unable to take his eyes away from her. "

“Still, it is nice I can still afford to attract good company.” Solas grinned as he pulled her closer to his body, his hand gently resting on her waist.

“Let’s just hope I don’t disappoint,” She laughed.

“Indeed. Now, there’s just the question of what I should call you.” The music changed into a soft melody, the dancing slowing to a gentle sway.

“You mean, ‘that-elf-you-met-that-one-ball doesn’t cut it?” She giggled, running her finger along the back of his neck. Solas shivered under her touch, but kept his focus on her gorgeous eyes.

“No, I’m afraid not.” 

“Hm,” she paused, her eyes wandered as she thought. "You know, I’ve never had a night quite like this before.“

"Neither have I.” Her hand traveled down his arm, her fingers trailing his skin until she reached his hand. Unable to take his eyes off of her, he took a step closer as her hand slid easily in his own. Their fingers intertwined.

“Tomorrow we’ll wake up and this will all feel like a dream…it would mean everything if we could keep it that way.” She thought for a moment. Suddenly, the girl bounced a little, a gleam shining in her eyes. "We could come up with fake names! It’ll be fun! It would be like a fairy tale.“

As she spoke her enthusiasm spiked and while it disappointed him to not get her name, he nodded, deciding to play along. "Very well. I will just call you Smiley, then.”

“Smiley?” She laughed. The name sounded weird, but it fit her. Even after she fell from an entire story, a smile graced her lips. It just…fit.

“You have an intriguing smile and as you are aware, I have little else to go with,” he chuckled as he tightened his grip on her hand.

“Fine then. I’ll do the same. If you’re going to laugh so much, I’ll just call you Chuckles.”

“A fine choice.”

“Indeed,” she mocked.

* * *

The dancing stopped amongst the other guests as the night progressed. Nira kept a close eye on the clock and every so often scanned the area to see Josephine’s whereabouts. She had been talking and keeping the guests busy so that was definitely good, but even from this distance she could see how annoyed she was becoming. She didn’t have long.

Still…

She wanted to get to know him.

The longer she spent with him, the more she wanted to know. He was mysterious and mesmerizing, a force she felt continuously pulled to. 

Eventually, even their dance slowed. They continued to enjoy each others company however, but instead walking amongst the Crystal Graces. Nira twirled, walking backwards as she flashed a mischievous grin at the man in front of her. “So, where did you grow up, Mr. Chuckles and remember the game…” She held up her finger matter-of-factly. “..no specifics.”

“Not far from here, actually. And yourself?”

Her face scrunched. Her vallaslin should have been a dead give away. With how smart and educated he seemed, she was surprised the words even left his mouth. 

“Did I say something wrong?” Chuckles asked, obviously catching her irritation.

“You aren’t blind. Surely you can see I’m not from around here.”

The corner of his mouth curled. “Yes. Though, the answer would only lead to my next question.” 

Curious, she tilted her head. “Which is?” 

“What brought you here.”

She sighed. “I was practically forced here.”

“Forced?”

She searched for words that would make sense to someone outside of the Inquisition. Those on the outside thought their rule was only hurting Haven. They thought it was unnecessary and that they weren’t needed. And while Nira agreed, the advisers thought otherwise. 

She didn’t want to give too much away. This was supposed to be their own personal fairy tale night, not one that only reminded her of what was to come the next day. 

“Well, forced to stay is more like it. I happened upon…something…that was very important and it put me in a very unusual position.”

“Sounds thrilling.”

“It wasn’t.”

They followed the path of the garden until they came across a large wooden gazebo. It was fairly lit. The perfect lighting for a romantic setting as the two made their way over to one of the railings that lined the gazebo. Nira rested her arms along the banister, leaning against it as her mind wandered. Chuckles never lifted his gaze away from her, his eyes filled with curiosity with every word she spoke. 

“And now?” His velvet voice softened dramatically. “Are you still trapped in this situation.”

She pushed herself away from the railing, raising her hand to her forehead. Why was he ruining the fun they were having? Did he really want to get into all this? “This question game isn’t really fun anymore.”

He seemed surprised at her sudden movement. “You can tell me anything, I assure you.” She began to rub her arms, nerves resettling in her stomach. She forced a smile on her face nonetheless, even if he couldn’t see her face.

“What do you do?” Her cheeriness didn’t seem to fool him.

“You’re changing the subject,” he said, walking towards her.

“That isn’t an answer.”

He laughed. “Am I not deserving of an answer first?”

“You know the rules, no giving away specifics.”

“Da’len…” Chuckles walked up behind her, placing a small kiss on her shoulder. His fingers sliding down her skin slowly, his lips remaining on her shoulders. “Please.”

She turned back to face him, their bodies already pressed close together. She avoided eye contact, as she stared at his chest. She couldn’t keep herself from touching him. At some point, her fingers trailed the outside of his coat, eventually stopping to play with one of his buttons. “I feel as if my silence should be answer enough for you.” Though tried to keep her voice as steady as possible, it cracked, straining as she answered him. 

“I suppose.”

She became lost for words and since he said nothing else, she assumed he had to. His hands trailed under her arms until they made their way behind her. Even though his hands had hardly left her since their first encounter, she couldn’t stop herself from feeling the wave of electricity that shot through her. Nira’s eyes trailed up his chest until their eyes locked once more. 

He must have taken that as his cue, as his face slowly lowered towards her. Butterflies erupted in her chest as she felt her body unconsciously move to meet his. Their lips drew closer. The blood rushed to her cheeks, her face becoming hot as they neared. Nira could feel his breath tingle her nose, his hands wandering around her back. She had never felt this way before. 

A happy fairy tale.

It was perfect.

But…

She pulled back, her embarrassment finally taking over. She fiddled with her fingers, trying to calm herself.

“N-now you answer mine.” Nira tried to avoid eye contact, but the few times that she looked at his face, he could see the confusion. The almost apologetic expression from moving things too fast.

After a moment, he cleared his throat. “I am a writer of sorts.”

“Of sorts? I didn’t realize there was some middle ground. I thought writers just…wrote.” 

His eyes trailed away from her. “Well, I write for a local paper. It’s not exactly the same thing. I had hoped to write novels, books about history, science, art. The Evanuris is a stepping stone, but hopefully it will lead to my true calling.” He spoke with such passion and unwavered determination, it was…nice.

“The Evanuris?” She smiled, realizing that he had slipped up.

Chuckles cleared his throat. “No specifics. I apologize. I seemed to have ruined the game.” He paused. “Perhaps, to even things out, I should know your profession. What is it that you do, exactly?”

“I…” 

Dong. Dong. Dong.

Oh no…She had forgotten. 

She turned and quickly ran to the edge of the party, searching for Josephine. To which she turned up empty. Her heart dropped. 

So the fairy tale was over…

“Smiley…?” Chuckles called after her, concern shining through his voice. 

“I-I’m sorry. I have to go.” Her gaze dropped, but she could see that he closed the distance between them quickly.

“Please don’t…” His voice strained as reached out for her hand. 

This time, she moved her hand away.

“I can’t. I need to leave now.” She quickly stood up on her tip-toes and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. “Thank you…for everything.”

Nira turned and ran as fast as she could towards the main entrance. She didn’t have time to be sneaky this time. She just needed to make sure that Josephine saw her dressed and ready to meet those she needed to be introduced to. 

Quickly running out of breath, Nira pushed herself further away from the man she had met.

She didn’t bother to look back. 

Her dream had ended.

It was time for her to wake up.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed that! Feel free to go to my Tumblr to see more of my work and the next chapter will be coming out soon. :)


End file.
